LAG 



LAM 



are four species, of which L. guidoniftis a 



tree which grows to a considerable size in 

 Jamaica, and is esteemed highly for its fine 

 timber, which is much used in all sorts of 

 building ; in the fruit of this tree, the lines 

 between the valves are of a beautiful red 

 colour, as well as the placentae ; the fila- 

 ments of the flower are very numerous. 



LAGBHSTROEMIA, in botany, so 

 named from Magnus Lagerstroem, of Got- 

 tenburgh ; a genus of the Icosandria Mo- 

 nogynia class and order. Natural order 

 of Salicariae, Jussieu. Essential charac- 

 ter : calyx six-cleft, bell-shaped ; petals 

 six, curled; stamina very many, the six 

 outer thicker than the rest, and longer 

 than the petals. There are four species, 

 of which L. indica, according to Linnaeus, 

 is a tree the size of a pomegranate, with 

 opposite leaves, sub-sessile, oblong, quite 

 entire, smooth ; the floral leaves roundish; 

 flowers flesh-coloured, in a loose termi- 

 nating thyrse, on trifid or three-flowered 

 pedicles ; the petals, on long claws, six 

 in number, curled and waved. Native of 

 the East Indies, China, Cochin China, and 

 Japan. 



LAGOECIA, in botany, a genus of the 

 Pentandria Monogynia class and order. 

 Natural order of Umbellatae, or Umbelli- 

 ferae. Essential character : involucre uni- 

 versal, and partial: petals bifid; seeds 

 solitary, inferior. There is but one 

 species, viz. L. cuminoides, wild or bas- 

 tard cumin : this is an annual plant, about 

 a, foot high ; the leaves resemble those of 

 honeywort : the flowers are collected into 

 spherical heads, at the extremity of the 

 stalks, and are of a greenish yellow colour. 

 Native of the Levant. 



LAGUNGEA, in botany, so called from 

 Andreas Laguna, a Spanish physician and 

 botanist; a genus of the Monadelphia 

 Polyandria class and order. Natural or- 

 der of Columnifene. Malvaceae, Jussieu. 

 Essential character; calyx simple, five- 

 cusped ; style simple ; stigma peltated ; 

 capsule five-celled, five-valved. There 

 are three species, of which L. aculeata, 

 prickly laguncea, has a round tomentose 

 stem, armed with small upright prickles, 

 a little branched, and is about a foot and 

 a half in height ; leaves alternate, shorter 

 than the petioles, deeply divided into 

 three serrate-toothed segments, the mid- 

 dle one longer than the others ; flowers 

 on short peduncles; calyx tomentose, 

 terminating in five short awl-shaped 

 points, bursting on one side to the mid- 

 dle, when the corolla expands, which is 

 yellow, and twice as long as the calyx ; 

 filaments short, scattered over the whole 

 surface of the tube ; stigma red, peltate, 



scarcely standing out ; capsule oblong, 

 acuminate, five-cornered, tomentose ; 

 seeds kidney-form, black. It is a native 

 of Coromandel, near Pondicherry, where 

 it is called by the inhabitants, Cattaca- 

 cheree. 



LAGURUS, in botany, a genus of the 

 Triandria Digynia class and order. Natu- 

 ral order of Gramina, Gramineae, or Gras- 

 ses. Essential character: calyx two- 

 valved, with a villose awn ; corolla having, 

 on the outer petal, two terminating awns, 

 and a third dorsal one, twisted back. 

 There is but one species, viz. L. ovatus, 

 an annual grass, eighteen inches or more 

 in height ; very soft and hoary, as are also 

 the leaves and spikes. Native of the 

 South of Europe. 



LAKE, in the arts, is a combination of 

 colouring extract, with an earth, or me- 

 tallic oxide, formed by precipitation from 

 the solution of the colouring matter. If 

 a solution of alum is added to an infusion 

 of madder, a mutual decomposition takes 

 place, and part of the alumine falls united 

 with the colouring matter of the madder. 

 Precipitates, of different shades of colour, 

 are obtained with alum, nitre, chalk, ace- 

 tate of lead, and muriate of tin. The 

 lakes form some of the beautiful pigments, 

 and are highly esteemed in water-colour 

 painting, and other purposes : and they 

 are almost invariably composed, either of 

 alum, or sometimes the solutions of tin, 

 and some other watery solution of a 

 colouring matter. See COLOUR. 



LAMA, the sovereign pontiff', or rather 

 god of the Asiatic Tartars, inhabiting the 

 country of Barantola. The Lama is not 

 only adored by the inhabitants of the coun- 

 try, but also by the kings of Tartary, who 

 send him rich presents, and go in pilgrim- 

 age to pay him adoration, calling him La- 

 ma congiu, i. e. god, the everlasting father 

 of heaven. He is never to be seen but 

 in a secret place of his palace, amidst a 

 great number of lamps, sitting cross- 

 legged upon a cushion, and adorned all 

 over with gold and precious stones; 

 where, at a distance, they prostrate them- 

 selves before him, it not being lawful for 

 any to kiss even his feet. He is called the 

 Great Lama, or Lama of Lamas, that is, 

 priest of priests : and, to persuade the 

 people that he is immortal, the inferior 

 priests, when he dies, substitute another 

 in his stead, and so continue the cheat 

 from generation to generation. These 

 priests persuade the people, that the 

 Lama was raised from death many hun- 

 dred years ago, that he has lived ever 

 since, and will continue to live for ever. 



LAMB. See Ovis. 



